The Anniversary
by Lintelomiel
Summary: Haldir and Filanna celebrate their one year anniversary in the best possible way, and a tradition is born. One-shot/companion piece to Growing Pains (contains spoilers).


**Title:** The Anniversary

**Author:** Laurelin

**Rating:** R

**Disclaimer:** Tolkien owns, I respectfully borrow, and I don't get a penny for my efforts.

**Warnings:** Smut written for smut's sake, because I was in that mood.

**Pairing:** Haldir/OFC

**Note:** This takes place about a year after the events described in _Growing Pains._

**Summary:** Haldir and Filanna celebrate their one year anniversary in the best possible way, and a tradition is born.

x

It was a fine spring day in the Golden Wood, one of the first of the year, but Haldir was in too much of a hurry to fully appreciate the sweet fragrances or the singing of the birds. This was unusual for him, for he had always enjoyed the hike home after a tour of duty at Lórien's outer borders; on occasion he had even spent a night out in the open to luxuriate in some welcome solitude after weeks of living in close quarters with his fellow wardens. These days, however, his legs could not carry him to the city quickly enough, because there was more than just an empty talan waiting for him at home, and it was this thought that made even the smallest delay undesirable.

It was past the noon hour by the time he finally jogged up the stair that led to his doorstep. His heart was a few steps ahead of him, anticipating that first embrace, the first searing kiss. She had to be home- simply _had_ to be. He had walked all night without resting, his arms aching to hold her once more, and he refused to even consider the possibility of finding the house empty.

In his impatience, he flung the door open with some force and was greeted by the sight of Filanna standing at the kitchen table, peeling an orange with her bare hands. She rarely found the patience to deck the table and sit down for lunch, instead eating on her feet whenever she found the time. Her hair was damp from a recent bath and she was wearing a tunic of his, an old favourite he had meant to throw away. The sight of her bare legs was stirring to say the least, and he felt an instant rush of blood to his groin. After three weeks, was it any wonder that he was keen?

He could see that his sudden entrance startled her, but she recovered quickly and gave him a smile of delight that lit up the very room. "You're here!"

"And none too soon." He carelessly dropped his pack, crossed the room in a few strides and caught her in his arms as their bodies came together violently. She was no more inclined to hold back than he was, climbing him like a lizard would a tree, winding her arms and legs around him tightly and opening her mouth to welcome the first of many kisses he had so longed to give her. She tasted of the orange that was left forgotten on the table as he bore her down to the floor, and he secretly complimented himself on having invested in a soft rug a few years prior.

She wriggled underneath him in apparent discomfort. "You're poking me."

"I'm sorry," he breathed, well aware that somewhere between the door and here he had become hard as marble. "You are so alluring, and my body responds as any man's would."

"No, not that." She giggled. "That I don't mind. I meant your sword, lover."

Sheepishly, he unchained his sword from his belt and put it aside, his bow and quiver also. It was hastily done, and some of the arrows spilled across the floor, but he didn't even notice. His attention was focused solely on the elleth before him, his elleth, whose dark hair fanned out across the wooden floor, whose scent intoxicated him to the point where all coherent thought fled from his mind. Her nearness assaulted the senses and put him in a frantic state of need, the primal drive to copulate heating his blood. "Sweet one, what have you done to me?" he murmured as he placed kiss after kiss on her soft mouth. "I want to please you, just tell me how."

Rather than answering, she sat up smiling and started unraveling the knots on his breeches with nimble fingers while he somehow managed to open a few buttons of her tunic without tearing the fabric. It felt a bit strange to handle one of his own shirts from this angle, but that thought was quickly forgotten as he filled his hands with her breasts, leaning in to feel her nipples harden against his tongue. He longed to taste even more of her, to sample all of the delights her body had to offer, but that would have to wait until later. He would not be winning any medals for endurance today. Breathlessly he confessed, "I'm sorry, dearest, I don't have a lot of foreplay in me right now. I have to be inside you, or I'll soil myself like a schoolboy."

They quickly switched positions, unashamed of their urgency. Filanna had managed to free his erection and she held him in one hand as she lowered herself onto him, fitting all of him inside her. She was wonderfully tight, and it was all he could do not to come then and there, especially when she started rocking on top of him, her hands braced on his chest. His old shirt, which had fitted her slim frame ill to begin with, slid a little further down her arms with each movement, until it caught at her elbows. Haldir caressed her breasts, her belly, then slid his hand even further down to where their bodies were joined. When his fingers found the sensitive little bud, she gave a soft cry and increased her pace. He did not like hurrying things along like this, but he was teetering on the brink already and he needed her to keep up with him. Thankfully, he soon felt the first tremors in her body that preceded climax, and her features took on that characteristic expression of combined agony and bliss that was without a doubt mirrored on his own face. He felt his testes drawing up into his body and sat up quickly, holding her and looking into her eyes as he erupted deep within the inner sanctum of her body. Filanna, herself in the very throes of climax, whimpered and rocked her pelvis against him, as if seeking to take in even more of him. It wasn't always possible to reach that peak simultaneously, but when they did, it never failed to leave him stunned.

Over the years, he had lain with women for a variety of reasons: to have an itch scratched, to keep feelings of loneliness at bay, or even just to while away the time. But he had never viewed sex as a natural extension of love, had never experienced the powerful emotions that could be evoked by that act, but with her. With her, it was never 'just scratching an itch', not even now, after three weeks of abstinence. Even this quick romp on the floor, all his clothes still on his body, meant so much more than any night of passion he'd shared with his previous lovers. For the first time in his life, he knew the true joy of lovemaking because… he was in love. And this past year had taught him that that was a good thing, even though the intensity of his feelings still surprised him at times. This moment was no exception: the ecstasy of sexual pleasure was ebbing away, but they remained locked in a mutual embrace, surrendered to the joy of being reunited- a different emotion but no less powerful. Haldir felt such tenderness towards her in these moments, such a fierce need to protect, that he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he would readily kill for her should need drive him.

"I have something for you," he said after the moment had passed. "Wait here while I fetch it."

He went to his pack, which he had left by the door, and returned with the flower he had plucked on the way home, one of the many yellow blossoms that had recently unfurled in the mellyrn. Her face lit up with delight when she saw it, for he had given her exactly such a flower a year earlier. Finding the mellyrn of Caras Galadhon in bloom this morning, he had spontaneously decided that he might as well make it a yearly tradition, and the joyful expression on her face steeled that resolve. He knelt in front of her and carefully twined the flower into her hair. "Beautiful," he murmured, surveying his handiwork.

She smiled gently. "Romantic fool."

"Indeed." He sighed and fingered the fabric of his old tunic, which still pooled around her waist. "Forgive me if I came on too fast. This was not something I had planned, but when I saw you so dressed… I lost all reason."

At this, she blushed self-consciously. "I hope you don't mind me going through your linen closet. You never wear this shirt anymore, but it still has your scent in it. It helps me feel close to you."

He caressed her jaw and nuzzled her face, kissing her gently. "I don't mind in the slightest. But now that the genuine article is here, would you be willing to accompany him to the bed and let him start making up for lost time, properly? Because what just happened was merely a fun little prelude, compared to what I have planned."

She nodded and let him pull her to her feet, helping him out of his clothes on the way to the bedroom, where they spent the next few hours doing all the things lovers do to celebrate a reunion. And even when they were sated they remained in bed, cuddling and engaging in idle pillow talk.

"What luxury to lie abed in the middle of the day," Filanna murmured. She lay partially on top of him, her head nestled against his shoulder. "I could stay like this forever."

"I know what you mean." He caressed her shoulder and the nape of her neck. "At some point, though, we will have to leave this bed and become productive again, even if it's just to put something in our bellies."

"Or to get some water and a vase for that poor flower." She cast a guilty glance at the now slightly droopy flower on the bedside cabinet. "I should probably have taken care of that right away. I don't want to seem an ungrateful recipient of such a sweet and thoughtful gift."

"It seemed fitting." Haldir smiled. "I couldn't very well let our first anniversary go by unnoticed, now could I?"

She propped her head up on one hand, gazing at him thoughtfully. "The first anniversary counting from which event, though? You and I had our fair share of ups and downs before we really decided to give it a try."

He made a face. "'Give it a try'? Is that what this past year has been, a trial period?"

"In a sense." She laughed softly and leaned in to kiss away his offended scowl. "No, but seriously. What was the event that started it all, according to you? Was it the first kiss you stole from me, the first night we slept in the same bed, the first time we said 'I love you'?"

Haldir considered his answer for a moment. "I have to say, I have fond memories of that night you asked me to dance and kissed me of your own volition. That was the first time you gave me reason to hope."

She smiled at the recollection. "It was lovely dancing with you. I resented every elleth you took to the floor that night, because I wanted to have you to myself, although I did not know it at the time."

He curled one arm behind his head, using his free hand to draw random patterns on her skin- he simply could not stop touching her. "And now that you do have me to yourself, are you happy?"

His serious tone seemed to surprise her, but she answered in kind. "Sweetheart, this has been the happiest year of my life, and that is the complete and utter truth. Surely you know that in your heart?" She caressed his face, her eyes acquiring a humorous sparkle. "How about you, do you ever miss the good old days, think with regret of the lusty maidens that will warm your bed no longer?"

He smiled. "Don't ask these silly questions."

"You started it."

"Fair enough." His hand moved lower, towards the swell of her breast. "Forgive me, love, I cannot help but worry you might tire of my long absences one day. I could not blame you if you did."

"I wish you wouldn't worry about that," she said. "Of course I will resent it on some days, but it won't make me love you any less. Besides, I do know how to keep myself busy and distracted while you are gone." She smiled mischievously. "And there is another advantage to these frequent reunions. I hardly think you would be bedding me with the same enthusiasm if we were together every single day."

"Don't be so sure." Haldir grimaced, because the strength he had believed to be sapped was returning, most noticeably between his legs. "Sweet one, in all my long years on this Earth, I have never felt this virile with anyone. You have awakened dormant powers in me the existence of which I never even suspected."

She smiled and started trailing kisses across his chest, a soft brushing of the lips merely, moving gradually downwards until her chin brushed the tip of his sex, which had hardened further as her mouth approached. She took it between both hands and put her thumbs just below the swollen head, starting a gentle massage that caused jolts of pleasure to shoot down his legs. He was leaking already, and she leaned down several times to catch the drops with her tongue as they appeared. He trembled, partly in anticipation of what was to come and partly because watching her almost did him in. Finally, she measured the length of him with her tongue before fitting him into her mouth, taking in a bit more with every stroke. Haldir let a long moan escape him because the sensation was always so wonderful. He loved how confidently she moved, and his sounds of pleasure grew louder when she cupped his testicles in her hand.

"Ahh, darling, that is amazing… you are amazing." He lifted her hair away to improve his view, struggling to keep still as he watched himself slide in and out of her lovely and talented mouth. But no matter how good it felt, there inevitably came a time when it wasn't enough anymore and he had to use his last breath to beg her to stop. She disconnected with a wet pop of her lips that made them both laugh. He then swiftly turned her over and rolled on top of her, while her fingers wrapped around his biceps and she lifted her legs to accommodate him fully, joining her ankles behind his back. He kept eye contact as he slowly rocked into her body. Whenever they made love, even that very first time, Haldir felt as though she had the ability to gaze straight into his soul; and that, perhaps, was the true definition of intimacy.

This time they were in no rush to get to the end. Haldir had found his self-control again and was perfectly content to just be inside her, kiss her and touch her, consciously savouring every precious detail. These were the memories that kept him company during those long waking hours at the fences, and he could never have enough of them. Even afterwards, while the sweat of passion cooled on their skin, he remained intimately entwined with her, the embrace of her arms and legs preventing retreat.

"I must be heavy," he murmured as he tried to adjust his position for her comfort.

"No, it feels good." Her fingers were idly caressing the nape of his neck. "Haldir?"

"Mmm?"

There was a glint of mischief in her eyes, but her tone was earnest. "I hope we get to celebrate many more anniversaries like this."

He leaned up slightly, brushing a lock of hair away from her forehead and kissing her gently. "Dearest," he said, "you just took the words right out of my mouth."


End file.
